1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of monitoring a product during manufacture; more specifically, it relates to an apparatus, method and system for monitoring the environment surrounding a product and events affecting the product while in a product carrier during manufacture of the product.
2. Background of the Invention
During manufacture of products that are stored and transported in product carriers between process tools, the environment seen by the product is different in many respects from the room environment, especially when the carrier is sealed from the room environment. Further, changes to the environment within the carrier and events affecting the carrier and product within the carrier while the product is being transported in the carriers are largely unmonitored. Undetected within product carrier environmental changes and undetected events experienced by the carrier and the product within the carrier can cause product yield loss or reliability fails that are very difficult to detect because there is no record of those environmental changes or events affecting. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus, method and system for monitoring the environment surrounding a product in a product carrier and events affecting the product carrier and the product in the product carrier during manufacture of the product.